Car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. M.'BROWN.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 321 276. Patented June 30, 1885.

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UNlTED STATES PATENT @rrren.

ERNEST M. BROW'N, OF NEW BOSTON, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

EFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,276, dated June 30,1885.

Application filed November 11, 1884.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST MoOLELLAND BROWN, of New Boston, in thecounty of Mercer and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improvedOar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, tbrming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved carcoupling, showing twodraw-heads engaged. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of thesame on the line a; m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of onedraw-head. Fig. i is a plan view of the link. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalsectional view of the same.

On the front end of the draw-head A a cross head, B, is formed, fromwhich two prongs, 0, project, one above the other, at one side of thecenter, each prong G having a longitudinal slot 0'.

That port ion of the head B adjacentto the one from which the prongs 0project is provided with a notch, D, extending from one side edge to thecenter of the head. Pin-apertures E are formed in that part of thedrawhead above the said notch, and pin-recesses in the part below it forreceiving pins-F.

In the top of the upper prong, O, a Vshaped recess, G, is formed in eachside of the slot 0 at the outer end, and in the said notches the ends ofa short pin, H, are passed, which pin passes through the upper end of alink, J, to the lower end of which the coupling-pin K is pivoted in sucha manner that it can swing to the front independently of the link. Toprevent the link J and pin-K swinging to the front at the joint, I haveprovided the pin with a lug, K, at the upper end on the inner edge.

A cross-piece, L, is secured on each upper prong, G, near the free end,and is provided with an aperture, M, through which a cord, N, is passed,which is secured to the upper end of the link J.

The link 0 is provided at the rear end with two apertures, P, for thepins F, and in each side piece of the link a latch, Q, is pivoted, theinner edges of which are beveled.

Springs It, acting on the latches Q, press (No model.)

them outward, to project from the inner edges of the side pieces of thelink.

The cross-piece L prevents pulling up the pin too far.

The operation is as follows: A link, 0, is held in each draw-head by twopins, F, the horizontal plane of the link being about midway between thehorizontal planes of the prongs 0, so that the link on one draw-head canreadily pass between the prongs O of the opposite draw-head. The outeror free end of the entering link strikes the front edge of the pin K andswings it inward on the pivot of the link until theouter cross-piece ofthe link has passed, when the pin swings to the front and against thecross piece of the bottom prong, 0, thus coupling the cars. As long asthe bottom of the pin K rests against the outer crosspiece of the bottomprong, (J, the pin cannot be swung toward the end of the draw-head, andthe link cannot be withdrawn from be tween the prongs C.

If the cars are to be uncoupled, the cord N is pulled upward and the pinraised snfii ciently to bring its lower end above the outer end piece ofthe bottom prong, 0, thus permitting the link while being withdrawn toswing the lower end of the pin outward on the pivot of the pin. The carsare at all times coupled by two links, which may be straight when thedrawheads are the same distance above the ground, or may be bent whenthe draw-heads are at different elevations.

The pins have considerable play in, the links, which is admissible onfreight-cars, but very objectionable on passenger-cars, and to preventthis I have provided the latches Q, which swing back to let the pinspass to the rear portion of the slotin the link, but prevent it from 0passing into the frontportion, thus limiting the play of the pin andpreventing undue jolting of the cars.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a draw-head, of a swinginglink having a cross-pin resting in Vshaped recesses G in the saiddraw-head, and a coupling-pin hinged to the links, substantially asherein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a draw-head having Vshaped recesses G, of thelink J, having ICO a cross-pin, H, and of the pin K, hinged to the linkJ, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head, of the cross-piece L, the link J,having a crosspin, H, resting in Vshaped recesses G in said head, saidlink being hinged on the drawhead, and the pin K hinged to the link,substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The combination, with a draw-head, of the cross-piece L, having anaperture, M, the link J, having a cross-pin, H, resting in V- shapedrecesses in said draw-head, the pin K, hinged to the link, and the cordN, passed through the aperture M and secured to the top of the link J,substantially as shown and described.

5. A draw-bar provided with a head, from one side of the face of whichtwo longitudinal slotted prongs project, and which is provided with acouplingpin, in combination with a coupling-link of an oppositedraw-head, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The draw-head provided on one side of its face with the two slottedprongs, O, and with the notch or recess D in the other side, said recessholding a link, in combination with the coupling-pin of an oppositedraw-head, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. The combination of the draw-heads, each having two slotted prongs, G,and a notch, D,

the links 0, the pins F, and coupling-pins E. M. BROVN.

WVitnesses:

G. WV. BRIDGER, CHARLES M. RADER.

